"The first three games, as you’ll remember, were really difficult because we had a lot of instability internally with the squad, and we had three consecutive draws," said Martinez. "The good thing is that after those draws we had a great win at home once the window closed."

"I just hope that this season we can start with a real stability internally, a real focus and a real competitive edge, because now the players are fighting for places and they are desperate to play from the beginning. I think this time around is totally different for us."

"A lot will come down to how Arouna Kone adapts to being fully fit. It is a big area that we're going to keep an eye on," Martinez said. "I want to make sure that Arouna Kone is in a position where we can make a good decision to take us from now until January.

"I don’t welcome comments about our players and for me James McCarthy is one of the best midfielders in the league," explained Martinez. "I don’t get surprised if other teams send good footballing compliments, but his future is clearly at Everton and it is an exciting one."

Olly Dawes

Olly is a Sports Management graduate and aspiring journalist, with most of his work surrounding football or NFL. He has formed two of his own sites, as well as contributing to a number of others before starting with Here Is The City.